Career Night For Hartenstein Starting For Injured Robinson
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
By Samori Benjamin
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
The Knicks (19-15) are 2-0 in 2024 after outlasting the feisty Chicago Bulls 116-100 on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. They are also 2-0 since acquiring forward OG Anunoby for popular home-grown Knicks RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. Anunoby had an efficient 11 points, 8 rebounds, and two assists in 34 minutes. Which was plenty enough as Julius Randle scored 35 points and Jalen Brunson provided another 31 points along with 13 assists.
Anunoby, a member of the All NBA Defensive second team in 2023 also finished the game with 2 steals, a category he led the NBA in a season ago. “I think the fact that he has been in the league for a while now, he understands the league and understands NBA basketball,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said post game of Anunoby who is in his seventh NBA season. “He doesn’t try to do too much. He plays off people, he plays for people. He helps bring the best out of the team and that’s what you need, it’s a big part of winning. The thing we like about OG is the positional size. I think that’s important. We’ve seen a lot of long wings and we’re starting to see a lot of size point guards as well. So, I like the fact that OG can guard point guards, off guards, small forwards, power forwards and even some centers.”
Isaiah Hartenstein had 10 points and 20 rebounds as he continues to fill in admirably for Mitchell Robinson at the starting center position after Robinson was lost for the season with a foot injury. The 20 rebounds were a career high for Hartenstein who says he has learned that he is good enough to fill this role for the Knicks. “I always had the confidence that I could really play it, but I was never really in that situation,” Hartenstein said after the win in which he also tied a career high with five blocks. “I feel like before yea, I could finish games, but now consistently playing 30 plus minutes, I feel like it’s something I can keep building on. We miss Mitch a lot and so I’m going to be happy when he comes back. To have that two punch that we’ve been having that was special before. But I just got to keep going.”
The game against the Bulls was the Knicks first against an opponent with a record below .500 after finishing a ten-game stretch in which every foe had a record above .500. 15-year NBA veteran DeMar DeRozan, who would look nice in a Knicks uniform if the disappointing 15-21 Bulls decide to make changes, finished with 28 points on an extremely efficient 10 of 13 from the floor. DeRozan is a six time All-Star still playing at a high level and could help take the Knicks where they ultimately want to go.
The Toronto Raptors are 2-0 as well since receiving Barrett and Quickley from the Knicks as both men have been inserted into the Raptors starting lineup. They return to Madison Square Garden to face the Knicks on January 20th. The Knicks play in Philadelphia on Friday in their first matchup of the season against the 76ers before traveling to the nation’s capital on Saturday to face the Wizards.
